Blackadder: Back & Forth - Screening Rights Dispute

Screening Rights Dispute

In 1999, before Back & Forth had been premiered at the Millennium Dome, a dispute broke out between Sky television and the BBC over who had the right to screen the one-off special after the Millennium year. Sky television claimed that they had paid £4 million for exclusive rights while the BBC argued that it was absurd that the channel from which the programme originated would not be screening it and that "The stars agreed to do it on the basis that it would be on BBC One." The film was shown at the SkyScape cinema eight times a day throughout the celebratory year 2000, after which it was aired on television, first on Sky in 2001 and then on BBC One, where it was scheduled to be shown on Easter Sunday in 2002, but was postponed until 21 April because of the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.